Well, as some of you may know, at the very last minute, I decided to enter a music competition. I thought it sounded good, and feedback is always good.

The junior category was up to 12 years, and it made me so nervous! They were amazing! The youngest was 8, but even those were playing some quite advanced pieces. Highlights included a 9 year old at grade 4 ish, a flautist (who also did the recorder) who was 11 I think and must have been at least grade 7, with a superb tone, and a pianist who played this CPE Bach piece (Solfeggietto), aged 11 as if it wasn't hard at all!

Then, in my category, woah. The standard was very high. First came a classical guitarist - it was beautiful and he really was very good. Another highlight was a treble recorder player who played a Telemann movement. But I thought all bar a couple really had a chance of winning.

At the break to decide the winners, this woman came up to me, and was like "That was lovely, do I know you?". It turned out that she used to teach English at my college, and she did look very familiar. Her godson was the very good junior flautist.

Then the results came and the flautist came first in the juniors...and...err...I won the seniors!!! I couldn't believe it - I'd played well I thought, but it wasn't flawless to me. I have a shield (which needs to be engraved) and £25 of music vouchers (which I handily left at the place!!!).

When I spoke to the adjudicator, he asked me whether I lived in X, and I said, no I live in Y. And he asked whether I went to my college. I said yes, and it turned out he was the head of Music in 1977!!

So, ee, I am really happy. If anyone is interested my comments were:

(For Bach's sonata no. 6 in E major - 1st movement)
"Very polished and stylistic perforance. You have a lovely full tone, and well controlled vibrato. All phrases were beautifully shaped and controlled from the start. Well judged dynamics. An excellent performance, which was well communicated with the audience and accompanist"

I just hope they keep my prize !

Eeeee!

(Shame I have to write an essay etc now )

That's fantastic Nicki.
Well done.

Welldone

Well done, Nicki!

Congratulations! Hooray for you!

Lovely comments! So never mind the notes, you obviously got the music right.

I keep telling people that the perfect live performance is so rare that it almost doesn't exist. Forget all those tarted up CDs.

congratulations

Well done!

Well done Nicki!

Thankyou all.

It makes me feel better, as in a past competition, I was told I was good, but the comments were so over the top, and the adjudicator was so poor - she had a degree in child psychology and hardly did any music (and slated everyone else off) that it's nice that I get good comments again, which maybe in the smallest sense may actually be true.

What's also quite ironic is that, last time, I didn't win because of my pianist (! - don't ask), and this time I got told I had good communication with my accompanist

Although the imposter syndrome did creep in..

Well done!

Car Expert

That's great

Fab result Nicki!

Congratulations, Nicki - that's brilliant!

Despite my reservations about music competitions - well done!

Well done!

That's fantastic, well done Nicki.

Yay!! See, we knew you could do it

Many congratulations Nicki - that's great news!!!!

Well done

Woo great news and fab comments

Well done that's fabulous!

It sounds like a great experience all round - and it's always nice to win. You'll have to choose a bit of wall for your shield!

Well done Nicki - that must have been a great confidence booster.

I've never won a trophy before...looking round, I don't have much space to put it on!

Well done!

Well done, that's great news

Woo!! Go Nicki!!

It sounds as if you went in for the experience of the performance, and came out with the bonus of the prize - well done you .

Thankyou!

I really didn't expect to win, and still don't believe those comments belong to me...

Plus there were only 1st and 2nd prizes...

Well done .

Good on you Nicki!!!

Wow - you clever girl!

Thankyou

Hopefully it's a good enough excuse for not having done my music homework.

...and my music vouchers are in the post

Well done! Hope you find something nice to buy with those vouchers - do you have anything in mind?

Congratulations, Nicki!!

The hitch is I have to buy something from the trade stand that's at the weekend. I really have no idea what they'll be selling.

On the other hand, it's £25(?) you didn't have before, so look on it as a bonus that you have it to spend

Yes, £25

Fankoo

sorry, Nicki, I've only just seen this.



such good news - well done and I'm sure you deserved to win, and every word of the comments.

Thanks. I still can't understand how I got those comments...especially since the field was so strong.

*shakes Nicki*

YOU GOT THEM BECAUSE YOU DESERVED THEM

Very well done, Nicki - I'm really delighted for you, esp as it was such as high standard of competiton.
( And - to go off topic a bit - could someone please tell me how to acccess these new bouncy moving smileys, because my PC doesn't seem to have them. Sorry to be so dim )

Thankyou.

Helen - if you go to "add reply", then click on "show all" in the smilies column and ta da...

If you don't have Javascript (or something similar) activated all the time on your computer you may need to do that first. I do. Alternatively if you pretend to reply to a message that has used the one you want I think you will see the typed code for it and be able to copy that.

Wot she said!!!

I have only just seen this thread but

YAY WOOHOO...GO NICKI!!!

Well done!

Oooo, purple writing

Brilliant!

Well done - that's amazing! Lovely comments. And a shield! Yay, go you!